warming, wednesday and thursday nice day. even thursday and friday that chance of rain does stick around. on this sunday evening, heat of the moment m winter turns to summer winter turns to summer in much of the country. high octane, gas prices soar to their most expensive ever at this time of year. is there an end in sight? tonight, how drivers can cope. tragic turn as a young soccer star is stricken on the field. the latest on his condition. frozen planet. a view of the top and the bottom of the world as never seen before. and to the rescue, as tens of thousands of animals wait to be adopted, a new way to find be adopted, a new way to find them loving homepthem lovi

nbc-universal television good evening. by now many of us have accepted that winter was largely a no-show this year. but these final days of the season, well, they're frankly unbelievable. with many parts of the country today basking in what feels like an early summer. we're talking temperatures near 80 in places like chicago. 70s in north dakota. tonight, the midwest, south and the east are enjoying temperatures above and in many cases much above average for march. tomorrow as many as 90 major cities will be flirting with record temperatures, while parts of the west are left out in the cold. for what's behind this and what lies ahead, let's head to chicago's lakefront and talk to weather channel meteorologist mike seidel. mike, good evening. >> reporter: hey, lester. it is not only the extremes, but the persistence of the heat. today in minneapolis-st. paul, they set their eighth record of the past nine days. up in the ice box,

international falls, the ice box of america, 79 for an all time march high, more like july. way up in concord, new hampshire, their earliest 80 degree reading on record. it was another beach day in chicago in march. five 80 degree days in a row, all record highs, 35 degrees above average. >> i've never seen people playing volleyball on the beach in march. >> reporter: in the nation's capital, a few people still on the ice, but the rink is closing today due to the balmy temps. in its place, a very early show of cherry blossoms, kicking off their 100 year anniversary with a festival this week. >> it is a surprise that everything has bloomed so early. it is beautiful. >> reporter: and runners across the country were in for a surprise. the athletes in georgia's normally cool marathon competed today in shorts and t-shirts, in temperatures heading toward 70. new york's half marathon participants were also treated to unseasonable warmth, while l.a. marathoners ran in unusually chilly conditions. what is causing these records across most of the country?

it is the jet stream. bulging way up into canada, blocking the cold air from moving south, and allowing staggering warmth to move north. but not everyone was enjoying the sun. flagstaff, arizona, was pounded with up to a foot of snow, shutting down a long stretch of interstate 40 for hours. and in the california sierra, they finally received at least three feet of long awaited snow. and the monday forecast, add another record to the long list in chicago and minneapolis-st. paul. in atlanta it will feel more like june with temperatures in the mid-80s. and the nation's capital, lester, will be running 20 degrees above average again tomorrow. >> mike, at the risk of being that guy, i've seen it snow in new york in april. any chance this jet stream could switch around and suddenly we're back into winter? >> reporter: not at this point. now the extreme temperatures will go by the way side as we get into the middle and latter part of the week. they'll back off. but even with that, here in chicago, thursday and friday, numbers will be running 10 to 15

degrees above average. the big story this week, that storm in the west will be a slow mover into the middle of the country. we'll keep an eye on dallas, little rock and shreveport for heavy rain, flooding and severe weather. >> mike seidel in chicago starting us off, thanks. it is not just the weather that is unseasonable, so too are gas prices. that summer driving season hit, we usually take around memorial day, has come early. and with pump prices expected to keep rising, a lot is riding on the question at what price will many drivers simply have to fold? nbc's craig melvin reports from los angeles. >> reporter: gas prices are their highest ever for this time of year, up 61 cents per gallon since december. >> there is a tipping point where that is, whether it is $4 a gallon or $4.15 or $4.50 or $5 i'm not sure. most economists will tell you you're close to it right here. >> reporter: in his weekly radio address, president obama responded to critics saying once again there is no quick fix. he also called on congress to

eliminate tax breaks for oil and gas companies and invest more in alternative fuel. >> they can either place their bets on a fossil fuel from the last century or they can place their bets on america's future. >> reporter: domestic production is up, and supply is down. so why is gas still so expensive? experts say it is unrest in the middle east, lots more cars on the road in china and india, and market speculators. they're all things drivers can do. >> they have more choices than ever in terms of fuel efficient vehicles and alternative fuel vehicles and they can use all of these means to curb their own consumption of gasoline. >> reporter: and aaa has tips to help you increase your fuel efficiency. first, they say lighten your load. take things you don't need out of your car. heavier vehicles gobble up gas. check your tire pressure. underinflated tires can slash fuel efficiency 2% less for every pound of pressure below recommended levels. and use your cruise control on the highway. steady speeds save gas.

small things that could add up and these days every little bit counts. craig melvin, nbc news, los angeles. for more on the economic impact of higher gas prices, we turn to cnbc senior economic reporter steve liesman. steve, we're watching this fragile recovery. could it be derailed by the rising gas prices? >> there is definitely a danger. every $10 increase in the price of oil takes some off the -- this time it is a little bit different, lester. we have had more employment. the warm temperatures you were talking about have reduced heating bills and natural gas prices are low. all of those combined as something of an offset. that said, it is something that hurts the poor quite a bit. we did a poll at cnbc, there is a one in four chance that high gasoline prices plunge the economy into another recession >> steve liesman from cnbc, thanks. this issue of gas prices is

also becoming a major factor in the presidential campaign. and was certainly playing out all weekend between the republicans and president obama. nbc's peter alexander has that story tonight from illinois. >> reporter: virtually ignoring his competitors, mitt romney today attacked the obama administration on rising gas prices. >> we got to get them out and get people in who will bring down the cost of gasoline. >> reporter: with his approval rating slipping, president obama recently defended his record on energy and accused his challengers of oversimplifying a complex problem. while romney argues for more drilling in the u.s., the obama campaign insists global factors are driving up the price of gas. >> they start acting like we got a magic wand and we will give you cheap gas forever. if you just elect us. every time. been the same script for 30 years. >> reporter: four years ago, then candidate obama used higher gas prices as an election year weapon. >> after one president in the pocket of big oil, we can't afford another.

>> reporter: this week, in illinois, romney faces another battle with rick santorum. >> if we're able to come out of illinois with a huge or surprise win, i guarantee you, i guarantee you that we will win this nomination. >> reporter: this marathon campaign has led to increased talk that the nomination fight could, for first time in 36 years, go all the way to the national convention. while santorum and newt gingrich are both embracing an extended campaign, their party's chairman insists a nominee will soon emerge. >> we will have a nominee, i think fairly soon, one two months away. >> reporter: romney dismissed speculation of a brokered convention. >> i know a lot of people will talk about delegates and strategies and math and that's all very interesting to the insiders. >> reporter: still, it is that delegate math that recently lured both romney and santorum to puerto rico, for today's primary with 20 delegates at stake. and tonight nbc news declared romney the projected winner of

that election in puerto rico, lester, he will get all 20 of the delegates there. to the latest on the u.s. soldier who allegedly killed 16 afghan villagers a week ago today. staff sergeant robert bales is being held in ft. leavenworth, kansas, and today we're learning more about his life in the midwest and some problems he may have faced more recently. nbc's miguel almaguer is following the case from joint base lewis-mcchord in washington, where sergeant bales was based. >> reporter: as attorney john henry brown arrived at leavenworth for his first meeting with his client, staff sergeant robert bales, new details about the man from those who knew him well. >> this is not our bobby. they swear that this is a major mistake. you've got the wrong name. >> reporter: bales was said to be upset about his deployment to afghanistan, his fourth tour to a war zone in ten years, where he's accused of killing 16. >> this is the kind of thing that one can expect from people in combat. but it doesn't justify that kind of action.

>> reporter: saturday in fremont, california, in the section of town called little kabul, anger and resentment. >> it is killing people that is wrong. it doesn't matter if it is muslim, christian, american. >> reporter: while serving in iraq two years ago, a friend of bales says he received this message from the staff sergeant, frustrated with iraqis. overseas is boring, this trip, pretty dumb. giving money to expletive instead of bullets just don't seem right. >> he's never said anything antagonistic about muslims. >> the majority of troops use denigrating language to speak about the enemy because it is the way you put them in their place. >> reporter: a married father of two children, bales and his family lived outside seattle, neighbors say they abandoned this suburban home, then agreed to sell their current house for a $50,000 loss. despite possible financial woes, bales was described as a happy go lucky dad. >> bobby bales could not hurt a

woman or a child. >> reporter: bales grew up in cincinnati, in high school he was called a military history buff, elected class president, and was a football star. at ohio state, he was a business major. >> he was working for a pretty big firm that was trading stocks for shell oil. >> reporter: tonight, lawyers in ft. leavenworth are pouring through his decorated military career, a search for clues as prosecutors look for a reason behind the bloodshed. robert bales has two attorneys, a civilian and military lawyer. we hear he could be charged as early as this week or next. lester? >> miguel, thank you. overseas, another attack aimed at the embattled syrian government today, a car bomb exploded near a security building killing a policeman and a civilian and injuring 30 others. state television showed these pictures and blame the attack on terrorists. meanwhile, there were funerals today for 27 people killed yesterday in suicide bombings that targeted security buildings in damascus.

an outpouring of concern from soccer fans around the world tonight after a popular young player collapsed on the field yesterday in london as millions watched on television. we get that story from nbc's duncan golestani. >> reporter: in london, a stadium falls silent. on the pitch, a soccer player is fighting for his life. minutes earlier, fabrice muamba had fallen to the ground, no other players were around him. the minutes pass as paramedics try to resuscitate him, watched by upset teammates and shocked fans. they begin to chant his name. >> fabrice muamba! >> reporter: then the silence returns. this was the 23-year-old earlier in the game, charging the field that he would later be carried off. muamba was brought here to london's chess hospital where his team say doctors got his heart working again. he had suffered a cardiac arrest. he remains in intensive care,

his condition described as critical. it shocked a nation where soccer is the number one sport. >> we got so many messages for him from all around the world. it just has been unbelievable. >> reporter: today rival teams were also showing their support. muamba is popular not just for his talent, but his determination. he came to london as a young refugee who couldn't speak english and quickly became a star student. as a top sportsman, he was in excellent physical condition, but experts now think he might have had an undetected heart condition. >> that's related almost certainly to something he was born with, a small abnormality in his heart muscle or in the soft channels that control the beating of the heart. >> reporter: muamba's collapse was watched live by millions. now they are praying to see him back on the field, having made a full recovery. duncan golestani, nbc news, london. and when "nbc nightly news" continues on this sunday evening, getting out the vote.

why president obama needs african-american voters more than ever. and making it easier for animals in need to find a home.

we're back now with more on the presidential campaign. for president obama, a key challenge is reinforcing his support among african-americans. they're emerging as a key group for the president, and some independents move away from him. nbc's kristen welker with that story tonight. >> may god bless the united states of america.

>> reporter: those were heady days for america's first african-american president. >> i barack hussein obama do solemnly swear. >> reporter: but the coalition of regular democrats and independents barack obama had built soon began to break apart. as battles over health care and the budget descended into partisan bickering. >> the president would not take yes for an answer. >> reporter: last summer with the black unemployment rate soaring, some african-american leaders slammed him. >> we want to give him every opportunity, but our people are hurting. the unemployment is unconscionable. >> and the american people want to see the president fight. draw a line in the sand. >> reporter: threatening to erode the overwhelming base of african-american voter support on which the president had built his winning coalition. >> i think he does have a predilection much more toward upper and middle class white brothers and jewish brothers and has a certain distance from free

black men. >> reporter: now the president is trying to make amends with his most loyal supporters. >> this is to toast all you beautiful, beautiful black people. >> reporter: his campaign is enlisting big names in the african-american community. tyler perry hosted a fund-raiser in atlanta on friday. cee lo green is lending his voice to the effort. he says the black vote was key in 2008 and even more important this year. >> just to reassure that your voice and your vote does count. it is very urgent that we get involved. >> reporter: anticipating losses among independents who supported mr. obama in southern swing states like virginia and north carolina in 2008, the re-election campaign is redoubling its efforts toward african-americans to make up the difference. >> he's going to get a high percentage of african-american votes, but what he wants is more african-american voters and i think that's the big challenge.

>> reporter: polls show nearly 90% of african-americans approve of the job the president is doing. the question is will they go to the polls in november? kristen welker, nbc news, atlanta. and up next here tonight, planet earth as you've never seen it before.

we talked a lot about warm weather. tonight, the opposite extreme, a journey to the part of the world few of us ever get to see with the start of a new seven-part series, discovery channel's "frozen planet." nbc's michelle franzen has our preview. >> reporter: the stunning scenes look out of this world, but this is life at the polar ends of the earth, a breathtaking display of beauty, alongside the brutality of nature. all captured by a team of photographers and scientists who spent four years braving unimaginable conditions. for discovery's new series

"frozen planet." >> this is really, really extreme filming. we called it kind of planet earth on speed because it was so extreme. >> reporter: so extreme director chad hunter says the sub-zero temperatures tested the limits of everything, including the human body. >> the moisture in your tears, your blinks get stickier and stickier and your eyelids freeze shut and you have to open your visor and punch yourself in your eyes to get your eyes back open. >> reporter: in antarctica, time lapse photography beneath the ice shows a saltwater icicle as it forms. reaching the seabed and killing creatures in its path. even in the far reaches of the unfamiliar, there are relatable moments, producer vanessa burlowitz was five months pregnant while tracking a polar bear and her two cubs and got a quick lesson in parenting. >> she was knocking them into what we call the naughty corner or time-out and i was sitting there thinking, i probably have got this sort of thing to come. >> reporter: from nurture to dramatic scenes of nature, where animals fight to survive,

penguins using all their might, lunging through the water to escape a sea lion. and a resting seal on an ice flow, falling prey to a pod of killer whales, working as a team to create a wave that washes it into the water. the silent giants also surprised hunter. >> kneeling beside a tiny hole in the ice and this orca would explode out of the water beside me and to look up at an orca ten feet above you eyeballing you was a real exciting experience. >> reporter: a spectacular visual journey everyone can now experience. michelle franzen, nbc news, new york. we'll be right back.

finally tonight, finding homes for animals in need. with tens of thousands waiting for adoption, mostly dogs and cats, some animal shelters are trying a new approach to make it easier for families to take them in. a program that began last year in a moment of crisis. nbc's john yang has our story. >> reporter: for almost 300 dogs and more than 130 cats at the joplin, missouri, humane society, life is all about waiting.

chance has been here since september, spends his time with the office workers. cody came in as a stray. lucy almost blind from severe head trauma. dogs frantically compete for attention. cats take a more low key approach, almost playing hard to get. but all are waiting for the same thing, a home. frances has been on the hunt since last fall. >> he's had a couple of lookers, but just not the right family yet. >> reporter: to help, the humane society came up with an idea, a sponsorship program. donors pay the $60 adoption fee so new owners won't have to. the target, animals that have been in the shelter for months. it is easiest to find homes for puppies like this one, so new, he doesn't even have a name yet. but for older and bigger dogs like prancer who has been here since october, sponsorship can be a big help. the program was started after

last year's devastating tornadoes when hundreds of pups became homeless, separated from their owners. sponsors have come from as far away as california and england, more than 400 in three months, far exceeding expectations. >> right at the beginning we had 18 sponsors and we were floored. we were thrilled. and then now that we had a couple hundred of them, the thrill hasn't worn off. >> reporter: which brings us back to lucy, the almost blind 8-year-old shih tzu. >> she curled up on my chest and when i was holding her, i was, yep, we're going home. >> reporter: home by danny flowers and his family. who were helped by the no-fee adoption, helped by a response sorry. >> i was lucky to find her. >> reporter: now flowers himself is a sponsor, doing his part for other dogs and cats so their days of waiting might come it an end. john yang, nbc news, joplin, missouri. that's "nbc nightly news" for this sunday. hope you'll join me shortly for